Friday, May 05, 2006

"Despite assertions of confidence inside No 10, the mood in Mr Blair's inner circle is jittery and his aides are actively considering whether Mr Blair should say today he will stand down in the summer of 2007.

Mr Blair is braced for backbench calls for him to name the date of his departure."

"Ministers began arriving at Downing Street on Friday morning for an expected cabinet reshuffle as Tony Blair tries to fend off demands from Labour MPs that he must quit after the party’s poor performance in England’s local government elections."

“Voters have delivered a decisive and damaging verdict on British prime minister Tony Blair who now faces the judgement of his own party on his future as prime minister. ...believe the drubbing is a direct consequence of the prime minister’s waning authority and refusal to listen to voters’ concerns over a whole series of policies on the welfare state, civil liberties and, still, the war on Iraq.”